Page 4 of Never Bed the Boss
Eat gelato in Cinque Terre
Eat a scone the size of my head.
Safari in the Serengeti.
One night stand with no regrets
Marry the man of my dreams.
Start a family.
The list continues with a mishmash of entries with no real relationship other than all of them being her wants, needs, and desires—each one of them an insight into my girl’s mind. I’ve made sure to cross out one entry. I’d have the rest knocked out for her by the end of the week if only I could find her. But therein lies the problem. I’ve been looking for her for weeks without a single hit. Nothing. If it weren’t for the list in my hand, I’d think she was a ghost. A cruel figment of my imagination.
But she’s real. She tasted like heaven and I felt like sin for defiling her pretty little body. My cock jolts to attention as memories of that night fly through my head. I trace every delicate curve and sensuous peak and valley of her body in my mind, recalling her sweet, irresistible, one-of-a-kind scent. Her little moans as I slipped my tongue between those creamy thighs. Her not-so-little moans as I fucked her against the wall, in the shower, all over the suite. I’ll never forget the night I made her mine. And once I find her, I’m never letting her go.
I’ll go crazy if I don’t see her again. If I don’t kiss those perfect lips and feel her against?—
There’s a large thud in front of me, jolting me out of my reverie. I glance at a thick stack of papers, some spilling from folders, and then up to Adrian, my business partner and Chief Financial Officer, standing in front of my desk.
“The door’s closed for a reason. Knock,” I say, slipping the list back inside my pocket as I turn my attention to my computer screen.
I’ve been so caught up with finding Iris that I have been neglecting my work. That’s not like me. Workaholic. Grump. Cold. There’s a whole slew of adjectives my colleagues call me, and I wear them on my chest like badges of honor.
“I did,” Adrian says, collapsing onto the chair beside him. “Multiple times but you were in la-la land.” He pulls out his phone as he kicks his feet up onto my desk. I stare at the solesof his Italian leather loafers for a brief moment and then at him as he taps mindlessly on his phone. A few moments pass until he sighs and then places his feet firmly back on the ground.
“I was working.” I glance at my monitor and re-read the email I drafted over an hour ago.
He laughs. “On what? The contracts are still unsigned. You missed the conference call this morning.” He stares at me. “Should I go on?”
He pauses for a brief moment while I try to finish the email but I can’t think straight. Adrian’s right. I’m so disconnected from my work and life that I don’t know what to do. I can’t think straight knowing Iris is out there and not with me.
I stand up and walk to the window, looking out at the city. Adrian and I managed billions in assets in our hedge fund. We were the best at what we did, so it was a surprise to everyone when we closed up shop and moved on to a completely different project. To us, it felt like a natural progression. A new challenge. We’d conquered an industry and wanted to move on to the next: BlackeThorne Entertainment.
Publishing, movies, television—we have our hands in everything. Even though we’re still a young company, we’re swallowing up our fair share of the market from even the most entrenched players. That’s what happens when hogs get greedy and complacent. We’ve swooped in and claimed the ground beneath them, fighting tooth and nail for more.
And with our streaming platform on the horizon and our production arm beginning to churn out original series at a blazing clip—this is our make-or-break moment. The true test of whether our gamble is going to pay off.
But it’s not a gamble. When I decide what I’m going to do, I put my heart and soul into it and never fail. But Iris is an anomaly, demanding my attention and things are slipping through the cracks.
“We have another call in twenty minutes,” Adrian says.
The leather chair creaks as he stands up. I glance at the sweeping view in front of me, wondering where Iris is hiding. Is she in this city? Was she just passing through? I swallow hard. I don’t know what I’ll do if I never see her again. My jaw clenches. That’s not happening. I’ll find her.
The leather chair moans as Adrian stands up. His hard soles click against the floor as he strides toward me.
“Asher, we need this funding to go through. It’s critical that you’re there.” He grabs my shoulder. “I don’t know what’s happening, but you need to sort your shit. This isn’t like you. Not since?—”
“I’ll be there,” I interrupt, turning from the view. “There’s nothing?—”
I swallow the rest of my words. It can’t be, but itis.That scent. It’s Iris—plain as day. Her scent is so apparent and overwhelming on Adrian that I can’t believe I couldn’t smell it the moment he walked in here. There’s no forgetting it.
“Where is she?” I grit out as something primal takes control of me, base instincts kicking in.
I sniff the air again. Sniff fucking Adrian while he stares at me, confused.
He laughs. “What are you doing? Talking about? You’re?—”
“Iris,” I spit out. “Where is she?” Every muscle in my body clenches as my vision tunnels, focusing on Adrian. He holds the key now. He knows where my Iris is. And as I fist his jacket, I’ll have my answer.
